Ironically, a major pusher of this form factor is Apple's own primary "Retina" display provider LG Electronics Inc. (KSC:066570), which has handed Android phonemakers an even more powerful display -- a monstrous 5-inch Retina unit.

While many people mistakenly think Apple "invented" the Retina display, it really just bought it -- bought it from LG.

Now Android smartphone makers -- including LG itself -- are preparing to launch 5-inch smartphones powered by LG's new 1080p HD 5-inch Retina display, which packs an impressive 440 ppi. While not quite as high a pixel density as rival Toshiba Corp.'s (TYO:6502) recently demoed 498 ppi 6-inch display, LG's display is a bit further ahead given that it's reportedly ready for immediate product integration.

Devices with the monstrous new display could be available by the holiday season.

LG's new display is among the highest resolution 5-inch displays in the industry.
[Image Source: LG]

On the technical side, the new unit features a somewhat new technology called Advanced High Performance In-Plane Switching (AH-IPS), an evolution of IPS which offers faster response times (your image updates faster), better brightness efficiency (the display uses less power), and better viewing angles (you can tilt your device and still read it).

RGB displays like this new model enjoy a slight advantage over Samsung Electronics Comp., Ltd.'s (KSC:005930) Pentile display format, in that they show less undesirable pixel visibility (aka "pixellation") at the same ppi (pixels per inch) measurement.

The Optimus Vu features a much different 4:3 aspect ratio, though, which makes it appear very squat. It reportedly was released in South Korea earlier in May, and will slowly roll out worldwide in coming months.